ON TIMEBOARD

SYR → DTW on time

Syracuse Hancock (Syracuse, NY) to Detroit Metro (Detroit, MI). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
77%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.1%
1,317 flights
Typical arrival
−12 min
median vs schedule
When late
+82 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

77% of flights from Syracuse to Detroit arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 87% of the time; the noon ones 65%. 10% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for SYR → DTW: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 47% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 53 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,317 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,31777%1.1%−12 min9.0%+82 minEndeavor Air 45%, Delta Air Lines 28%, SkyWest 27%, Republic Airways 0%

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at SYR). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: 78% on time (122 flights)785a6 a.m. departures: 87% on time (243 flights)876a7 a.m. departures: too few flights7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: 82% on time (185 flights)829a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (39 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)11anoon departures: 65% on time (155 flights)6512p1 p.m. departures: 77% on time (209 flights)771p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (15 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 71% on time (334 flights)715p
SYR → DTW, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On SYR → DTW, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 1.2% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.5% of the time (earlier flights: 1.7%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Delta Air Lines5:17 p.m.1.1%2.5%1.2%first flight 6:20 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (89%). Worst: January (67%).

40%70%100%Jan: 67% on time (273 flights)67JanFeb: 78% on time (253 flights)78FebMar: 82% on time (339 flights)82MarApr: 87% on time (347 flights)87AprMay: 82% on time (355 flights)82MayJun: 83% on time (347 flights)83JunJul: 83% on time (353 flights)83JulAug: 81% on time (349 flights)81AugSep: 89% on time (322 flights)89SepOct: 87% on time (339 flights)87OctNov: 82% on time (316 flights)82NovDec: 71% on time (313 flights)71Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday19573%3.1%
Tuesday19376%0.5%
Wednesday19373%0.0%
Thursday19285%0.5%
Friday19276%0.5%
Saturday15778%0.6%
Sunday19576%2.6%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 39%Late inbound plane 37%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 15%Severe weather 8%

Cancellations: airline 7 · weather 6 · air traffic/airport 2

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 92% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 94% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2024: 91% on time, 0.9% cancelledMay 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 86% on time, 2.6% cancelledAug 2024: 76% on time, 2.6% cancelledSep 2024: 95% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 73% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 85% on time, 0.9% cancelledMay 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 77% on time, 2.6% cancelledJul 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 84% on time, 0.9% cancelledNov 2025: 71% on time, 2.8% cancelledDec 2025: 54% on time, 1.8% cancelledMar 2026: 75% on time, 0.9% cancelledApr 2026: 85% on time, 1.7% cancelledMay 2026: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 86% on time, 0.9% cancelledJul 2026: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 81% on time, 0.9% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SYR → DTW, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
DL 20915:50 a.m.34985%2.0%−11 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 1, 202540%0
Jan 26, 202630%1
Jan 3, 202630%0
Feb 2, 202630%0
Dec 29, 202530%1

Questions

How often are flights from SYR to DTW on time?

77% of 1,317 scheduled flights from Syracuse, NY to Detroit, MI arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.1% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly SYR to DTW?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (87% on time). The noon departures were the least (65%).

What month has the most delays from SYR to DTW?

January (67% on time). The best month is September (89%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from SYR to DTW more likely to be cancelled?

Not much. Each airline's last SYR–DTW flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time over the past year, against 1.2% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.